Happy New Year from down under!!

Our New Year's celebration was a wet one, but the kids had a blast none the less. The practice race was cancelled as there was no wind. At 4 we were all bussed into Napier center where the parade of nations was held and we were treated to a traditional Maori welcome in the rain! Then it was back to the club for a fun New Year's party.

We are just back from our morning run and getting ready for the first races this afternoon. Still no wind, but keeping our fingers crossed! The rain has finally stopped and we should begin to get a good southerly breeze by tomorrow, with the sea breeze returning by Wednesday.

Happy New Year to all!!!

Napier Sailing Club

So far the experience has been great in that the Kiwis have been very accommodating host. Tonight is our first dinner and for the first time there will be a girls only activity…

Dec 29

Dec 29

Dec 29

Dec 29

Dec 29

Dec 29

Today, 30 December 2011, marks a day of practice team racing with Canada,
Swiss, and Ecuador. Although the conditions aren't too good, the racing will
go on. It is currently rainy with light breeze coming out of the NW the
temperature is in the mid sixties.

Below are a few photos taken of the team as well as a few photos of Napier and
the surrounding area.

Day 2 of training..kids getting their bearings!

It was a long day of sailing for the kids..Zizi had them cracking! There were unusually large wind shifts (almost 140 degrees!) and our sailors found it challenging. Michael had the lone capsize of the day! We all had some fun for the evening, though, with the kids dancing the night away at the club! Michael and Makai were chosen as the 2 top dancers by a lonely older women who wanted to hit the dance floor!! Enjoy the pics!!

First full day of training!

The kids and their fearless leaders are just back from their morning exercise and Zizi has organized a quick football match before heading out on the water. Spirits are high even though some stomachs are a little sensitive after eating the dinner prepared by Anthony and Hugh!! The kids were exhausted by 9pm and asleep by 9:30..up at 7:15 for their run! Here are some pics...

Pre Worlds Regatta Starts (Team BER not entered)

It was a challenging first days' sailing for many of the international sailors competing in the Harken Invitational Regatta for Optimist sailors today due to the changing wind and wave conditions.
The provisional results show that Chilean male Francisco Ducasse was the overall leader after the first four races.  The sailor holding the second position overall is a female, Justina Pacheco from the Dominican Republic with Rodrigo Luz from Brazil third overall.
It is expected that confirmed results for the first days' sailing will be released early tomorrow morning.
After a slight delayed start due the last minute sign up from a large number of sailors, the weather was perfect for a good day sailing, between 8 - 10 knots sea breeze. After race 2 the wind picked up to 15 - 18 knots, as predicted, and made some rough sailing with a nasty chop at times.
As a result, many on the race committee boats suffered from seasickness delaying the processing of results and testing the race processes in the lead up to the OptiWorlds.
Four races were held today with two races schedules for tomorrow. 214 sailors from 33 different countries headed out to sea for the first day of the regatta.
Tomorrow promises some interesting races with strong winds predicted again around 1300 (1.00 pm) when the first race will start. It is also expected that racing will be tight amongst the competitors as they become familiar with the local conditions.

Bermuda Team on the water...finally!

The rest of the Bermuda team arrived in sunny Napier yesterday. The Barits were the only ones to lose luggage, but it all has arrived now and training has begun! There is a strong SE breeze (20-25 knots) and Zizi has them working hard. Two more days of training, a practice race on the 31st and then the regatta starts on the 1st. We have a great group of five racing this year. Everyone is getting along well and looking forward to the competition. They will be running every morning (much to their dismay!) and playing lots of football. The Fairely Motor Lodge is quaint and comfortable! Here are a few pics!